Improvement in bottle-stopper fastenings



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. SGH'INZELl 8v P. HENRIGHS.

Bottle-Stopper Fastenlng Patented April 29,1879.

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N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHE. WASHINGTON. D C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. SGHINZEL 8v P. HENRICHS. Bottle-Stopper Fastening.

No. 214,958. Patented .April 29, 1879,.

N- PETERS. FMDTOLITHDGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

vcompanying drawings, and to letters of refer- -swinging or pivoted bail or yoke, inade in two UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JOHN SOHINZEL, OF LANSING, IOWA, AND PETER HENRIOHS, or LA GROSSE, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOTTLE-STOPPER FASTENINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 214,958, dated April 29, 1879; application filed February Be it known that we, JOHN SGHINZEL and PETER HENRICHS, respectively of Lansing and La Crosse, in the counties of Alamakee and La Grosse and States of Iowa and Wiscousin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastenings for Bottle-Stoppers; and we do hereby declare that the followingis afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make and use the sanne, reference being hadto the acence marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention consists in a fastening device for an ordinary bottle-stopper, consisting of a parts of unequal lengths, the longer part bein g pivoted to a clasp or wireY encircling the neck of the bottle, passing over the stopper, and terminating at the side thereof, and the shorter part being pivoted to said longer part, and extending downward and engaging with a lever which is fulcrumed to the neck clasp or wire, and serves to force the bail upon the stopper, so as to Securely fasten the same.

The bail andlocking-lever when disengaged from each other will rest on opposite sides of the bottle and afford a handle device, for permitting the bottle to be rmly grasped-while pouring out the contents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation, representing the position of the devices when locked. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showin g the position of the parts when disengaged. Fig. 3 represents the position of the parts and the hand of the manipulator when pouring out the contents of the bottle.

The letter Adenotes a band or clasp, which encircles the neck of the bottle immediately below the customary shoulder thereon. The ends of the wire forming this clasp are bent to form lugs or short projections c, which receive the small wire a2, that serves to hold the clasp closed and retain it on the bottle. On one side of the clasp is formed a stirrup,

c, for the attachment of a bail or yoke, formed of two parts, B D, of unequal lengths., The part B of the bail is made in the form of a loop, and the lower end thereof is bentl to forni eyes, which receive the aforesaid stirrup portion c of the neck-band.

The part B is bent or curved so as to extend from the neck-clasp to apoint directly at the side of the stopper or beyond the center thereof, as is shown in Fig. 1, and to said terminal point of the part B the shorter-part, D, is connected by a hinge or pivot joint, the former being thus brought to bear upon the stopper itself. The part D is made of wire also, in the form of a loop, andA has the ends of its side arms twisted into eyes b, which receive the transverse wire of the part B, so as to form the above-mentioned hinge-joint.

E designates a swinging locking-lever, which has an eye at its inner end, receiving the stirrup-shaped portion g of the neck-clasp, so as to connect said lever with the neck-clasp. The lever has a hook, e, adjacent to its pivotpoint, which hook receives the lower-portion of the shorter part D of the bail. When said lever is in a vertical position, said bail can be slipped ovr the saine and" made to engage with the hook, when, by turning the lever down against the bottle, the bail is forced down upon the stopper and the latter iirinly secured.

We are aware of the existence of a device for locking bottle-Stoppers consisting of an arc-shaped or curved bail, which is permanently connected with the stopper and carries a fulcrurned lever, which engages with a stir-4 rup of a clasp encircling the neck of the bottle, the bail being connected with said clasp by means of a pivoted link.

In the construction above specified, and which we desire to disclaim, the pivot-point of the bail and the link is located near the top of the bottle-neck, and the bail itself passes through the stopper, and extends down on the opposite side of the bottle-neck, where the fulcrurned lever is located.

In a fastening device of the construction disclaimed by us the strain or pressure transmit ted to the bail and link by the locking-lever causes the hinge-joint of said bail and link to exert an injurious pressure upon the neck of the bottle, and for this reason the latter is liable to become fractured.

In contradistinction to the above, a fastening-bail made in two parts, hinged together at a point which will come on one side of the center of the stopper, as shown in Fig. 1, will enable the longer part of the bail to act in the nature of a lever and sink into the stopper, the pull upon the shorter part of the bail, when the locking-lever is depressed, being of such a character that said bail will not exert an in jurious pressure upon the neck of the bottle.

Having set forth the advantages our fasten ing device possesses over a device of an analogous construction when in active operation, or when performing its legitimate function, we have furthermore to state that when the component parts of the fastening device are in the position shown in Fig. 3-that is, removed from the stopper and hanging down against the bottleneck-they serve as a convenient handle device for readily and securely grasping the bottle, and preventing the saine from slipping out of the hand. It will readily be perceived that this use of the fastening device as a handle device is due to the special confprmation of the parts. Thus it may be stated that the longer part of the bail will, by virtue of its angular shape, stand out from the bottle to such an extent as will enable the shorter part ot' the bail to project inwardly and rest against the body of the bottle. Said short part being slightly curved, it will readily fit between the thumb and forefmger of the hand,

and the outer endof saidY forefmger, or the middle finger, if desired, will rest against the locking-lever on the opposite side of the bottle.

It will readily be observed that a curved bail carrying a stopper and locking-lever, as in the instance heretofore mentioned, will projectv from the bottle-to-such an extent as to render the manipulation thereof While empty. ing the same rather inconvenient.

The fastening devices, in the instance referred to, being permitted to hang loosely, will also be liable to swing back and forth and strike the bottle, and, furthermore, when the bottle is inverted too much,thebail and lever will swing across the mouth of the bottle and come in the path of the liquid being discharged therefrom.

Having thus describe-df our invention, we claim as new- The stopper-fastener hereinY described, cousistingof t-he swinging bail=made in two parts, B D, the longer part, B, being hinged to the neck-wire A, and bent solas to-extend over the stopper, and the two parts being joined by a hingejoint, b, above the stopper, and the neckwire A, carrying the pivoted lockingdever E, having a hook, e, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we affix our signatures in presenceof twowitnesses.

JOHN SGHINZEL. PETER HENRICHS. Witnesses:

M. VIERNDT, J AcoB ScHooK, J oHN WACKER. 

